John O'Groats, in the far north of the Scottish Highlands, is a gateway to the Orkney Islands. Ferry services were established from the mainland to Orkney over 500 years ago. John O'Groats is also a target for intrepid cyclists, walkers and others who travel the 800 plus miles from Lands End.

Kingdom of Shadows by Barbara Erskine is a long, page-turning book about a woman who starts to learn about Isobel of Fife, Countess of Buchan, who is said to have crowned Robert the Bruce a second time, making him the only twice-crowned King of Scotland.

You may have seen or studied Shakespeare's Macbeth - a play written hundreds of years after Macbeth reigned. Find out about the kings who ruled Scotland ten centuries ago, including Macbeth whose life differed greatly from Shakespeare's portrayal.

Mary Queen of Scots was unlucky in love and politics. Most people know that King Henry VIII had six wives – when he married his third wife, Jane Seymour, he was forty-five years old - but did you know that Mary Queen of Scots had three husbands under her belt before her twenty-fifth birthday?

Think of famous Scottish Olympic sportepeople and names that come to mind might include Chris Hoy, Eric Liddell, David Wilkie... Yet inspiring Scottish women have also triumphed in Olympic sports - have you heard of Stephanie Cook, Katherine Grainger and Shirley Robertson?